Basis of Presentation Basis of Presentation (Policies) | 3 Months Ended |
Mar. 31, 2015 |
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract] | |
Basis of Presentation, Policy | The accompanying unaudited Financial Statements of Cheniere Holdings have been prepared in accordance with GAAP for interim financial information and with Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In our opinion, all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair presentation, have been included. Certain reclassifications have been made to conform prior period information to the current presentation. The reclassifications had no effect on our overall financial position, results of operations or cash flows. |
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Results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2015 are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations that will be realized for the year ending December 31, 2015. |
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For further information, refer to the financial statements and accompanying notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014. |
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Accounting for Investment in Cheniere Partners |
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As of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, we owned a 55.9% limited partner interest in Cheniere Partners. In addition to the Cheniere Partners units, we own a non-economic voting interest in GP Holdco, which holds a 100% indirect interest in Cheniere Partners’ general partner. This non-economic voting interest in GP Holdco allows us to control the appointment of four of the eleven members to the board of directors of Cheniere Partners’ general partner to oversee the operations of Cheniere Partners. Cheniere owns the sole share entitled to vote in the election of our directors (the “Director Voting Share”). If Cheniere relinquishes the Director Voting Share, which it may do in its sole discretion, or ceases to own greater than 25% of our outstanding shares, our non-economic voting interest in GP Holdco would be extinguished and we would cease to control GP Holdco. Cheniere may, at any time and without our consent, relinquish the Director Voting Share, which would cause our non-economic voting interest in GP Holdco to be extinguished. Because Cheniere may relinquish the Director Voting Share at any time and we have no variable interest in GP Holdco, we have determined that we cannot consolidate Cheniere Partners and must account for our investment in the Cheniere Partners units that we own using the equity method of accounting. |
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We record our share of Cheniere Partners’ net income (loss) in the period in which it is earned. The difference between our reported zero investment in Cheniere Partners as of both March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 and our ownership in Cheniere Partners’ reported net assets, excluding the beneficial conversion feature associated with Cheniere Partners Class B units (“Class B units”) as reported by Cheniere Partners, was due primarily to suspended losses and equity gains from Cheniere Partners’ sales of common units that were not recognized by us. |
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The equity method of accounting requires that our investment in Cheniere Partners be shown in our Consolidated Balance Sheets as a single amount. Our initial investment in Cheniere Partners is recognized at cost, and this carrying amount is increased or decreased to recognize our share of income or loss of Cheniere Partners after the date of our initial investment in the Cheniere Partners units. As a result of our historical negative investment in Cheniere Partners and because we are not obligated to fund losses, we had a zero investment balance in Cheniere Partners as of both March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 and had suspended the use of the equity method for additional losses. After giving effect to our equity ownership in Cheniere Partners as though we had acquired the Cheniere Partners units we owned as a result of a merger of entities under common control, we had suspended losses of approximately $670 million and $530 million as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively. Additional equity method losses that we incur increase the suspended loss amount. |
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Due to our zero investment balance in, and suspended losses of, Cheniere Partners as of both March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, we have historically and will continue to recognize distributions that we receive as a gain on our Consolidated Statements of Income and a corresponding entry will be made to increase the suspended loss account. Only upon recovery of all suspended losses through future earnings will equity income be reported on our Consolidated Statements of Income and future distributions reduce the carrying amount of our investment in Cheniere Partners. |